Fromille Family Adventures

beauty. noun. the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind.

Today was an incredibly gorgeous day in Monterey so we drove down the Pacific coast highway into Big Sur to do a short hike Sam's been wanting to do for a long time where you can see a waterfall spilling out onto an unspoiled beach. Driving the 30 miles down to the trail was a gorgeous drive. Despite the beautiful sunny weather, along parts of the coast there was a thick layer of fog over the ocean that sometimes creeped up the sea cliffs and over Route 1. Looking down at the ocean you couldn't see any hint of the water in certain areas and it reminded me of driving through the mountains in Ecuador when you were up so high that you looked down at the tops of the clouds. It was beautiful. However, during those patches of highway where the fog had creeped up over the road and it was so thick you could barely see the next curve in the road, it didn't seem so beautiful. In fact, the fog was so thick at our destination we weren't able to see the waterfall at all! What a bummer!

The fog was both beautiful and dreary depending on our perspective. Inside the fog it was dreary and bleak. It seemed like the fog was hiding the natural beauty of the landscape. But above the fog, the fog itself was beautiful and mysterious appearing to have a life of it's own as it climbed up the sea cliffs and drifted into the crevices of the landscape.

It got me thinking about life. Sometimes as a stay-at-home mom I feel like my life is about as beautiful as living inside the fog. I do laundry, go to the grocery store, change diapers, walk the dogs, clean the kitchen, and a bunch of other monotonous, less-than-exciting daily tasks. But with a little change of perspective I realize that my life is so incredibly beautiful and blessed. I get to see my son smile, and I get to be there for every "first," and I get to watch him learn and grow and explore his ever expanding world. I get to read to him, sing with him, and dance with him on a daily basis. When I think about my life in those terms I can't imagine a more beautiful life!

On the way back up to Monterey the fog had burned up enough for us to stop at a beautiful beach and stretch a little. Doesn't get much more beautiful than this little guy's smile when he's hangin with his dad!